HG, 19 Oct 2009I have used this phone for 4 months now after having used most of Nokia's E-series phones and ... moreThanks HG for good review - I like the one about the camera and the oak tree! I will not be buying N97 unless comes down to $350...

Lauren, 20 Oct 2009Hi, I got a N97 a few weeks ago. The phone is great, but sometimes when I unlocked the phone, ... moreLauren, another explanation may be related to the backlight time-out. The maximum setting is 60 sec. It may happen that when you pick the phone up to use it, you think it is locked but in fact it is just the backlight that has dimmed. To activate the screen backlight, press the silver menu hardware key once. But if you push the slide lock key, the phone will lock but not activate the backlight and it will seem as if the phone is not responding to the lock key.
It is one of my frustartions with the lock key design - you should be able to determine at a glance if the phone is locked or just dimmed, but you can't. And it is made worse by the fact that the maximum backlight time is 60 sec. Hope this helps.

Lauren, 20 Oct 2009Hi, I got a N97 a few weeks ago. The phone is great, but sometimes when I unlocked the phone, ... moreLauren I have experiences the same problem but that occured while my phone was using the original Firmware (V10). My suggestion would be to upgrade your phone's firmware rather than exchanging it for another one which will probably have the same problem. Upgrade to V12 (latest) or you can wait till Nokia released the more updated firmware that could be due by the end of this month or so.

Hi, I got a N97 a few weeks ago. The phone is great, but sometimes when I unlocked the phone, the screen didn't light up. I would have to lock it, then unlock again for the screen to light up. Seemed to be a small glitch, so I sent it back and just got a new one - but seems to be doing the same thing. Mainly if I haven't used it for more than about 10 min. Has anyone else had this problem?

Got this phone 3 weeks ago with the v11 firmware and experienced some lagging and freezing (mostly when web browsing) which occasionally forced me to restart my phone. I finally got around to updating to the latest v12 firmware, and the phone seems much faster and more stable. I'm very pleased. I now can't wait for the new firmware this month.

Anonymous, 20 Oct 2009What is the purpose of posting apple's financial report here? To douse cold water on nokia fa... moreI got this phone 3 weeks ago and it came with v11 firmware. It was fine overall though a little slow maybe, but i had no problems with bugs or crashes (the worst it got was having to restart my phone once or twice after a webpage i was loading froze, but other apps were still working). I did occasionally get lagging, particularly when more than 5 apps were going at once. I finally got around to updating to the v12 firmware last week and what a noticeable improvement it has been. The phone feels much faster and more stable overall, and i haven't had one problem (eg lagging, crashing, freezing) since i updated. Finally nokia are righting their wrongs. Better late than never i suppose. I am now much more excited about the upcoming firmware update due at the end of the month...maybe the phone will finally be what it should have been when released! I can't wait.

n97 is full of specs you cant find on some other phones,i have mine for like 4 months now,and I'd say you will never look for some missing specs co'z dis phone rocks!and od course the sliding design say it all.....coolest thing that nokia ever put on a phone...that design.

Anonymous, 01 Jan 1970Yes, at the moment apple is making profits. Businesses fluctuate, and last year nokia profited about usd750. This year they will lose, but next year they may very well profit again. The simple fact remains that nokia are still the number one best seller of cell phones in the world.

I have used this phone for 4 months now after having used most of Nokia's E-series phones and Samsung's Omnia range.
Let me start out by saying this phone will leave you wanting for more and you will constantly look for the features to validate your $550 purchase but not find them.
Maybe the aspect that lets down most is the build quality. The back cover squeeks when you're pressing on the touch screen and you know this phone will not survive a fall. The screen is fingerprint prone and the camera lens cover is a dust trap.
The stylus which comes attached as a lanyard is a dreadful idea and dangles from the phone like cheap jewelry.
The lock button on the side is once again not a good idea and it will catch on almost every pouch you slide it into.
It is difficult to use the phone when connected to a charge cable as the cable attaches on the left top side of the phone, this is especially bothersome when connected to a car charger.
Nokia had the good sense to allow USB charging but thought it good to make the USB port the only charge connection. The exclusive mini USB v.2 charge option is rediculous - this is purely aimed at increasing accessory sales as you now have to do away with your previous Nokia mini pin chargers in the office and at home and either get adapters at $7 a piece or get new USB chargers.
I have updated my N97 to v.12 firmware which provides some relief in terms of processing speed and stability. Still, it is hard to believe how far removed the experience is from what Omnia delivers in terms of the UI.
The camera takes good pictures albeit that the camera software is very basic. Focus and shutter lag is so pronounced that you will not get sharp pictures of anything less than a 100 year old oak tree on a wind still day - forget about catching your baby's perfect smile on a crisp and sharp image.
If you're using the phone for business application and are relying on Outlook interface, the calendar entries are limited to 3 lines of info on the homescreen and it gives preference to tasks, so don't hope to see your upcoming appointments at a glance - with no option to customise. At least it allows you to sync your Outlook mail using PC Suite if you're not using push mail.
Widgets do not update on your homescreen seamlessly when you've set the content to online mode and the 3 or 4 widget bars you may have set to news, weather and other updates eventually just show 'updating' and you will have to manually enter the application and choose 'refresh' or 'connect'to get updated content on your homescreen.
Also, if you've put 'favourite contacts' on your homescreen, the contact pictures will often not load in the bar when you put the phone on and you'll have to restart to get them up.
I invite anyone to tell me that they have not experienced other parties in a call saying that they can't hear when you're using the speakerphone - whilst the speaker sound is not too bad, the microphone has little digital sound boosting capacity and you will not be able to host a mini conference from your N97.
No smart dialing in this day and age is beyond belief and one can only hope Nokia is including that in the next firmware update.
The Ovi Store is a joke and apart from the fact that 90% of app's that are advertised as free are in fact trial, the general usefulness and quality are shocking.
The extended and large memory capacity is useful. Unfortunately the SDCard slot is under the very flimsy back cover and although it is hot swoppable, you will not be swopping cards because the cover has to be snapper off which will probably result in your stylus falling off.
The GPS performance, especially with Ovi Maps 2.0, is acceptable.
The music player UI is good.
The battery life is good.
The slide mechanism and keyboard usability are acceptable.
The web browser performance is acceptable.
The phone performs well as a modem when using PC Suite or Ovi Suite.
Call quality when using the phone as a handset for standard calls is acceptable.
Final words: you will be dissapointed in this phone because it does not deliver value. Not value for your money and not user satisfaction. The reason why the next firmware release is so eagerly anticipated is because everyone is hoping the phone will then become what they have signed up for - hi tec and hi spec.
Unfortunately, firmware can't do anything for the poor build quality and it can't do much for Nokia's lack of imagination and innovation when it comes to touch phone design and development...